Trade Bait: Obviously sellers and not buyers, but who really has value to help stock the farm? As an aside, don't be surprised to see third baseman Josh Bell move elsewhere to even up a deal as a change of scenery candidate.

Breakout Candidate: While he will likely not appear in a box score until the New York-Penn League season begins, Venezuelan lefty Eduardo Rodriguez already has two plus pitches–fastball and curve–and an ability to throw strikes.

Don't Be Surprised If He Gets To The Big Leagues: Outfielder Xavier Avery still has plenty of holes offensively, but his ability to run and play defense could get him a September look as a future fourth outfielder.

Fans Are Too Excited About: Bridwell has plenty of upside, but some Orioles fans seem to be already penciling him into the future rotation; there is still much work to be done. He gave up more than a hit per inning last year, and he still needs to refine everything about his game.

Trade Bait: Lavarnway is the obvious candidate, as he’s a good hitter but below average catcher who might fit in better elsewhere. Outfielder Bryce Brentz could end up in that Josh Reddick-like hole of good, but not good enough to play every day in Boston.

Breakout Candidate: Third baseman Garin Cecchini's 2011 season was cut short by a wrist injury, but he's one of the best pure hitters in the system, and making his full-season debut at Low-A Greenville.

Don't Be Surprised If He Gets To The Big Leagues: Finally healthy, right-hander Junichi Tazawa has looked good this spring and could get a look at some point in a relief role.

Fans Are Too Excited About: Anthony Ranaudo's scouting reports are a far cry from his glory days at Louisiana State, with some seeing a future back-end starter, and others no more than a middle reliever.

Trade Bait: The Yankees just traded Jesus Montero, and have a long history of placing little faith in their own young talent, so every prospect could be on the table if the deal is right.

Breakout Candidate: After a full-season debut marred by struggles both on and off the field, catcher Gary Sanchez finished the year strong and has been the talk of minor league camp. Even in the Florida State League, he could be primed for a big year.

Don't Be Surprised If He Gets To The Big Leagues: While nowhere near the top of any prospect lists, right-hander D.J. Mitchell is a groundball machine who could turn into a valuable bullpen piece.

Fans Are Too Excited About: While he threw eight shutout innings this spring, Betances remains a messy, inefficient pitcher with an ugly injury history; that combination screams a future in relief rather than starting.

Affiliate to Watch: While there will be arms like Alex Torres and Chris Archer at Triple-A Durham, Low-A Bowling Green is the team to watch. Can Drew Vettleson and Ryan Brett really hit? Can 2010 first-round picks Josh Sale and Justin O'Conner rebound from dismal 2011s? Their lineup should be filled with players to watch, with potentially some players from their deep 2011 draft class.

Trade Bait: Torres and Archer are both close, both have big league stuff, and neither has room in Tampa.

Breakout Candidate: Left-hander Enny Romero has arguably the best stuff in the system and could become the best pitching prospect, but only if he can somehow harness his command.

Don't Be Surprised If He Gets To The Big Leagues: After an injury-plagued 2011 season, right-hander Wilking Rodriguez has the stuff to move quickly as a reliever.

Fans Are Too Excited About: 2011 first-round pick Mike Mahtook is the kind of player who could put up some big numbers in the minors, but it won't change his prospect status. He's going to be a big leaguer, and possibly a good one, but he lacks star-level tools.

Trade Bait: Still not quite ready to compete, the Blue Jays are likely to stick to the long-term plan as opposed to being big players in July.

Breakout Candidate: After hitting .261/.352/.475 last year in Lansing, Crouse is showing more signs of converting his tools into skills this Spring, and his athleticism is off the charts.

Don't Be Surprised If He Gets To The Big Leagues: The team will open the year with both Brett Cecil and Dustin McGowan in the starting rotation, so if Kyle Drabek continues to falter, that could lead to an opening for last year's breakout pitcher, Drew Hutchison.

Fans Are Too Excited About: Centerfielder Anthony Gose combines 20 home run power with blinding speed and outstanding defense, but he's yet to prove he can hit; he enters 2012 with a career minor league batting average of .258 and 183 strikeouts in 164 games as a Jays farmhand.

KG, just FYI: because the Yanks' AAA team will be on the road all season due to renovations to the Scranton stadium, and will play most of their "home" games in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse etc, their name for the season is the Empire State Yankees.
Has any AAA team ever had to do this before, and do you think always being on the road might have a significant impact on the players' performance/development?

I'm a little bit shocked that you have Marisnick as the favorite to overtake d'Arnaud as the system's top prospect. d'Arnaud is already a top-20 prospect in baseball, and is about to hit the launching pad that is Las Vegas for 5+ months. I know prospect analysts try to avoid using statistics for rankings, but an 1.100 OPS with 30+ home runs might be hard to look past. By putting Marisnick as the favorite for 2013 #1, you're almost implying he could be a top 10-15 prospect in baseball, which is both scary and very exciting.

Even the most optimist of O's fans don't have any illusions on counting Bridwell as a future rotation piece. I'm not sure where you got that impression.
I'm surprised Avery got the 'good defense' tag. Have his routes improved to that point?

Im suprised about Marisnick being a better chance of being number 1 then D'arnaud. Also do you think D'arnaud will be the starter next year if the path continues or will he need one year of being a backup? Anyways this is a great piece and your work is great.